Men's golf hit highs and lows during Saturday's first two rounds at Carpet Capital Collegiate

Shaw

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Rocky Face, Ga. (Sept. 15, 2007) - The 14th ranked ETSU men's golf team went from first to 13th in one day at the Carpet Capital Collegiate Saturday, as the Buccaneer golfers shot a 3-over 291 in round one; however, followed that up with a 20-over 308 in round two and now sit 19 shots off the lead heading into the final round on Sunday.

"We played well in the first round yesterday and today, but struggled with our shots during today's second round," said head ETSU men's golf coach Fred Warren. "We were actually tied atop the leader board after the first round, but the course was playing difficult this afternoon and we made it more difficult for ourselves with our play."

After heavy rains washed out most of the action Friday, the ETSU golfers woke up early Saturday to conclude first round play. Senior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) and freshman Rhys Enoch (Cornwall, England) led the charge for the Bucs in round one. Shaw fired a two-under 70 and was tied for second entering the second round; while Enoch shot a one-under 71 in his ETSU debut. Senior Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) also enjoyed a solid first round, carding an even-par 72.

"I am proud with how Rhys is playing in his first collegiate event," added Warren. "He is off to good start as freshman."

Georgia Tech's Chesson Hadley led the competition after the first round with a 7-under 65, which was one shot off from tying the lowest score after 18 holes.

Shaw and Enoch did everything they could do to keep ETSU among the leaders in round two, but neither golfer was able to fire a sub-par round during afternoon play. Enoch led the Buccaneers with a two-over 74 and currently sits 11 shots off from the leader, tying him for 15th place. Shaw is currently tied for 18th after finishing with a four-over 76 in Saturday's second round action. After firing a 72 earlier in the day, McNamara followed that up with a disappointing nine-over 81.

The Bucs will have a lot of work to do if they want to climb back into contention, as South Carolina holds a five shot lead over Auburn and a six shot advantage Georgia Tech. The Gamecocks shot a four-over 580 during the first two rounds. Hadley continues to hold the individual lead at 10-under 134, tying the lowest 36-hole score at this event.

"Hopefully we can finish strong tomorrow and gain some spots on the leader board," commented Warren.

ETSU will continue with third and final round play from the Carpet Capital Collegiate on Sunday and live scoring is available at Golfstat.com. A complete wrap up of the day's play will be available later in the evening at ETSUBucs.com.